Flushing apparatus.



PATENTBD DEC. 1.9, 1905.

T. DUGMORE.

FLUSHING APPARATUS.

APPLIoATloN FILED MAR. 14. 1904.

NITED STATENT OFFICE.

TREVELLYAN DUGMORE, OF MEDFORD, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO IVALTER ESMOND BARNES, OF MALDEN, MASSACHUSETTS.

FLUSHING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 19, 1905.

Application iled March 14, 1904. Serial No. 197,914.

To all whom it Hefty concern:

Be it known that I, TREVELLYAN DUGMoRn. a subject of the King of Great Britain, and a resident of Medford, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in F lushing Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a flushing apparatus particularly adapted for use in a flushing-tank for water-closets. As heretofore constructed ushing devices for this purpose have usually comprised a valve located in the dischargepipe for controlling the discharge of the water from the tank. An objectionable feature of such devices has been that by reason of wear or of the accumulation of dirt or sediment or by other causes the valve has tended in time to leak, thus permitting a constant flow of water into the basin or bowl of the closet and a constant running of water into the tank past the usual float-controlled valve.

In many of the present iiushing devices which employ a Siphon for emptying the tank it has been necessary to provide automatic means for admitting air to the top of the siphon to break the siphonic action when the tank is once emptied. This is particularly important where the pressure of the water supplied to the tank is high and the water consequently is admitted by the iioat controlled valve with such great rapidity that without the provision of the air-inlet just referred to the supply to the tank would when the iioat was very low equal or very nearly equal the exhaust through the Siphon. As a result the Siphon would continue in action. In my device presently to be described no air-inlet for the siphon is required. Furthermore, in the present forms of Siphon flushing devices it is impossible to regulate the amount of water discharged from the tank-that is to say, once the siphon is started the full capacity of the tank is emptied into the bowl, the flow stopping only when the air-inlet is automatically opened. This is objectionable, because some closets require more water for ushing purposes than others, and it is highly desirable that the amount of water discharged from the tank should be suited to the requirements of the closet. At present the amount of water discharged cannot be governed, but all the water in the tank down to the level of the inlet end of the short leg of the Siphon will be discharged even though a less amount would suffice. j

The objects of my invention are to remove the objectionable features above noted and to provide an otherwise improved flushing apparatus.

My improved iushing apparatus comprises a tank, a Siphon having its longer member communicating with the outlet of the tank and its shorter member communicating with the interior of the tank. A main water-supply conduit discharging into the tank is provided, controlled, as usual. by a normally closed float-operated valve through which the tank is refilled after each emptying. In connection with the Siphon, however, I provide a supplemental water-supply conduit discharging into the longer member of the siphon, and a valve is provided in this supplemental conduit by opening which water is admitted to said longer member to start the siphon. While this construction distinguishes my flushing apparatus from others,` yet another feature of my invention consists in providing an additional normally open valve in the main supply-conduit, together with means controlled by the water in the tank for shifting said valve toward its seat to throttle or reduce the supply to the tank when the level of the water falls below a predetermined point. By this construction the supply to the tank from the main supply-conduit is so reduced when the level of the water reaches its lowest point that the siphonic action is stopped and the tank is refilled ready for the neXt operation more quickly and positively than has heretofore been possible.

In order to provide for regulating the amount of water discharged from the tank to suit said discharge to the requirements of the particular closet where the tank is used, the shorter member of the siphon is made vertically adjustable, preferably by having it swing sidewise relatively to the longer member, so that its inlet end can be fixed in any desired position with relation to the level of the water when the tank is iilled.

Other features of my invention are hereinafter pointed out.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is acentral vertical section of a fiushing-tank embodying one form of my invention. Fig. 2 is a detail hereinafter described.

Having reference to the drawings, A represents the usualtank, a a pipe connecting the tank A with a supply of water, and a a pipe connecting the tank A with the bowl to be flushed.

The pipe t at its discharge end communicates with a main inlet-conduit a2, discharging into tank A. Said conduit may be supported by a bracket a3, fastened to the inside of one of the walls of tank A. Thishmain inlet-conduit t2 is controlled by a normally closed valve operated by the usual Hoat ahacting through a lever a, fulcrumed on bracket a3. The water within Itank A is discharged, as hereinafter described, from said tank through asiphon comprising a relatively long member 6, having its lower or discharge end connected with pipe d, and a relatively short member y, communicating at its lower or inlet end with tank A near the bottom thereof. In order to prevent any objectionable sucking noise at the lower end of member b when the level of the receding water reaches said end, said member is notched at its lower end, as at bu, and at a point just above the apex of the notch bu is perforated, as at Z212. Then perforation Z212 is uncovered by the water, airis drawn into member b' and acts to check the Siphon, and this checking action of the air admitted through perforation 512 is supplemented by a graduallyincreasing amount of air admitted through notch Z211 until the Siphon is stopped. The perforation is so small and the notch so shaped that little or no sucking or gurgling sounds are produced when the lower end of member b is uncovered by the water and the siphon stopped. v

Normally valve ai closes main inlet-conduits a2 when the level of the water in tank A is at the top of the member b, as indicated in Fig. l. In order to start the Siphon, I provide a supplemental water-supply conduit Z22, discharging at one end into member of the siphon and connected at its other end with pipe ct. Through this conduit Z22 water can be admitted to member I) from pipe a independently of the main inlet-conduit a2. When wateris admitted to member through supplemental conduit 52, its descent through said member starts the Siphon in action and after the rsupply from Z22 is cut o the siphon will continue in action until the lower end of member is uncovered. The supplemental supply-conduit b2 is controlled by a valve 3, whose stem is pivotally connected at If to a lever 125, fulcrumed upon a link connecting it with bracket a3. Lever b5 is moved in one direction to open valve b3 manually by means of a cord or chain 67 and in the opposite direction by a weight bs, carried by the lever.

I find that it is best although it may not always be essential to provide means in the member of the Siphon for temporarily retarding the descent of the water admitted thereto from the supplemental conduit b2 in order that the water may be permitted to accumulate in pipe b suiiiciently to insure the starting of the siphon in action. The means herein shown provided for this purpose consists of a yielding' obstruction in the form of a diaphragm C, having two folding or resilient wings c. This diaphragm C is supported by a hanger, herein shown as a wire or the like c2, fastened at its upper end to a removable cap Z213, closing the upper end of member At its lower end wire cZ extends through a perforation c3 in diaphragm C and below said diaphragm is connected with a laterally-extending bar of, onv which the diaphragm is hung. When water is admitted to member Z) from conduit b2, its passage down said member is retarded by diaphragm C, the air escaping past C, which does not close the pipe air-tight until the pressure on the wings c is sufcient to fold them together, whereupon the water is released and the siphon started. When the wings are folded together bythe water, the diaphragm C occupies very little space and does not to any appreciable extent affect the capacity of member b. When the siphon discontinues its action, wings c spring out into closed position again and the iow through member stops.

As already stated, some closets require more water to Hush them than others, and as it is extremely desirable that the amount of water discharged from tank A be suited to the needs of the closet where it is used- I have herein employed a construction whereby the inlet end of member Z2 of the Siphon can be raised and lowered, so that the amount of water discharged from tank A can be regulated. An admirable method of making the inlet end of the shorter member b of the siphon vertically adjustable is to make it in a separate part from the longer member, as shown, and provide a swivel connection between the two. In detail this consists in making the member separate from member 5 and having its upper end connected by acoupling 58 with a nipple b9, provided on and com- IOO IIO

municating with the upper end of member b.

This construction permits member b' to be swung' laterally on the axis of the coupling 58,

I do not desire to limit myself to this particular manner of providing for vertical adjustment of said inlet-opening, but that any convenient construction-such, for example, as a vertically-adjustable sleeve or extension-is within the scope of my invention.

Connected with valve ai is a normally open valve a, which may be termed a throttlevalve, arranged to control a port 021, which is part of the main supply-conduit. When valve is moved away from its seat, valve an is moved toward its seat and acts to roeduce or throttle the water passing through conduit a2 to the tank. The valve a never completely closes port am, its range of movement being from a wide-open position to a throttling, but not a closed, position. Vhen float a is at its lowest point, the rate of inflow is so reduced by valve a that it is much less than the rate of outflow through the siphon, and as a result the action of the latter lssoon stopped. The level of the water will thereupon rise, thus moving valve a away from port @21 and valve a* toward its closed position. During the first part of the downward movement of float rf the rate of inflow gradually increases to the maximum as valve a* opens until the area of the passages past valve a* and past valve a are equal. During the last part of the downward movement of lloat a5 the rate of inflow gradually decreases as valve a approaches its throttling position until the rate of inflow is so reduced that the action of the Siphon will quickly empty the tank. It will thus be seen that if the maximum rate of inlow is caused to be less than the rate ot'outflow the descent of the lloat will not be interrupted and that whatever be the pressure on the supply the siphonic action will be stopped when the float reaches its lowest point, and thus an unnecessary or unduly continued outflow from the tank through the siphon is prevented.

l. In a flushing apparatus of the character described, a Siphon, anda yielding obstruction in the longer member otl the Siphon for temporarily retarding the descent of the water until suiicient water has collected in said member to start the Siphon.

2. A flushing apparatus comprising atank; a Siphon for discharging water from the tank having its shorter member communicating with the interior of the tank; a main Watersupply conduit discharging into the tank; a valve controlling said conduit; a float for operating said valve; a supplemental water-supply conduit discharging into the longer member of the siphon; a valve controlling the supplemental conduit; and a yielding obstruction in the longer member of the Siphon for temporarily retarding the descent of the water admitted to said member from the supplementalconduit until suliicient water has collected in said member to start the siphon.

3. A flushing apparatus comprising a tank; a Siphon for discharging Water from the tank having its shorter member communicating with the interior of the tank; a main watersupply conduit discharging into the tank; a valve controlling said conduit; a lloat for operating said valve; a supplemental water-supply conduit discharging' into the longer member of thesiphon; a valve controlling the supplemental conduit; and a diaphragm in the longer member of the siphon comprising a pair of resilient folding wings for temporarily retarding the descent of the water admitted to said member from the supplemental conduit until sufficient water has collected in said member to start the siphon.

il. Alushing apparatus comprising a tank; a siphon for discharging water from the tank -having its shorter member communicating with the interior of the tank; a main Watersupply conduit discharging into the tank; a valve controlling said conduit; a lioat for operating said valve; a supplemental water-supply conduit discharging into the longer member of the siphon; a valve controlling the supplemental conduit; a diaphragm in thelonger member of the siphon comprising a pair of resilient folding wings for temporarily retarding the descent of the water admitted to said member from the supplemental conduit until suflicient water has collected in said member to start the Siphon; a removable cap fixed to the upper end of the longer member of the siphon, and a hanger for supporting the diaphragm connected at its upper end to said cap.

Signed by me atBoston, Massachusetts, this 3d day of March, 1904.

TREVELLYAN DUGMORE.

Witnesses:

WALTER E. BARNES, ROBERT CUSHMAN. 

